LAKEPORT >> Early Monday afternoon, a power pole fell onto Hill Road East in Lakeport, blocking both lanes of the road just meters away from Sutter Lakeside Hospital. As a result, hundreds of nearby customers, including the hospital, were left without electricity for several hours.

Quick to respond were CHP officers, Lakeport firefighters, and PG&E personnel to the exact area of Hill Road East and Hill Road. Though the pole had blocked the road near the hospital, Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said drivers were able to access Sutter Lakeside off of Lakeshore Boulevard by the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff. After knowledge of the incident, the hospital opened their lower gate through Mendocino Health Clinic to allow alternative entrance routes.

Crews remained on scene for hours past noon to determine the cause of the fallen pole.

According to Deanna Contreras, a spokeswoman for PG&E, the power pole’s anchor broke and fell as a result of overly saturated ground dirt.

“Because the safety of the public, crews and our customers is our top priority, we are looking into why the anchor broke so this won’t happen again,” she said.

No injuries were reported, but one Maria’s Midnight Ride’s minivan taxi was struck on its right rear by the fallen pole, according to Hutchison.

The taxi had one passenger, Jessica Brawner, who called the encounter “scary.”

“We were just leaving the hospital and then all of a sudden the pole fell and hit the back end of the taxi. It was kinda scary, but at least we didn’t get hurt,” she said.

One local commented he was taking his parents to the hospital and mentioned that the pole’s leaning state looked as if would fall at any given point two days before Monday’s incident and was not surprised to hear about the fall.

A total of 280 Lakeport customers were affected, including the Lake County Sheriff’s Department just six miles away. Sutter Lakeside also faced power outages and was not restored until midnight.

“The hospital was affected, but they had a backup generator. We communicated with them throughout,” Contreras said.

She added that it is vital for people to stay away from downed power lines and always assume they are energized when encountering one. Calling 911 and PG&E is adviced.

“Especially in Lake County, our number one cause of outages is from tree branches in contact with power lines and limbs falling on power lines due to winds. One should call 911 about any low hanging power lines or broken equipment,” Contreras added.